Democrats challenge delays certification of Bush's election win

Democrats in the US Congress disputed Thursday the result of Ohio's 20 electoral votes in the Nov. 2 election, delaying the official certification of President George W. Bush's victory.

Ohio Representatives Stephanie Tubbs Jones and California Senator Barbara Boxer, who filed the objection over alleged widespread "irregularities," said the move was not designed to overturn the election result, but to draw attention to the need for aggressive election reform.

The group cited a new report by Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee pointing to "numerous, serious election irregularities," particularly in Ohio, that led to "a significant disenfranchisement of voters."

The House of Representatives and Senate met Thursday afternoon in a constitutionally mandated session to count the electoral votes. It is only the second such challenge since 1877. The last was in 1969.

Republicans dismissed the challenge as a stunt, noting that specific allegations of voting problems in Ohio have been investigated by journalists and found to be untrue. White House press secretary Scott McClellan dismissed the challenge as "partisan politics."

Senator John Kerry, who conceded defeat after shortly challenging the Ohio result in the election, did not take part in the protest. "Our legal teams on the ground have found no evidencethat would change the outcome of the election," he said Wednesday in a letter to lawmakers.

Source: Xinhua